A non-limiting application relates to a 60 GHz communication system. The frequency band around 60 GHz has been opened up for the use as a licensed free band. Based on this regulatory allocation, the IEEE has established a new standard group as part of the WPAN standard family (802.15.3c).
The main advantage of the 60 GHz range is the very high allowed transmit power of up to 57 dBm EIRP (Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power) which is much higher than the available power in the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) bands (around −10 dBm over all power EIRP).
The basic channel properties in the 60 GHz band show a much higher attenuation than the UWB channels in the bands below 10 GHz. However, for the mm-Wave band NLOS (Non Line Of Sight), transmissions may be possible in limited cases. In most cases an LOS (Line of Sight) transmission is possible using very high transmit (TX) powers.
Some implementations propose an omnidirectional mode of the 60 GHz system with, however, a limited reach. To obtain a high TX power on the air, it is preferred to implement directive antenna systems with high gains (15 dBi to 30 dBi, or even above).
Thus, for normal use, it would be convenient for the user to be able to have a system that can steer the antenna beam to the right direction for simplifying the set up of the connection. It is possible to control the direction of the antenna beam by a scanning process. However, for very high gain antennas, the antenna beams are very narrow and thus, it would take a long time to get an idea of the environment. Furthermore, the scanning process is time consuming due to the small antenna beam on both sides. Increasing the antenna beam would also reduce the antenna gain and thus the reach of the system.